Why I love Lester!

I couldn't have scripted this scene any better:-) Notice the brown dot in the middle of the video, to the right of the middle, green tree, see it, well I should say him cuz it's Lester the PonyMan. I called for him once and he didn't hear me, but my second call you can see some brown dot movement, that's his head shooting up from the grass- "MOM!!?" gosh it's enough to melt your heart isn't it?

The weather was horrible ALL weekend so I didn't ride him until Monday. Sunday was sunny, but the flies were just awful and all the horses were pretty crazed from trying to kick, swish and bite at flies. Poor ponies:-( Even after we doused the boys in vinegar and flyspray the flies were still attacking and I didn't want our first ride back (it had been over a week) to be miserable so I didn't get on him Sunday. I lunged him straight up (no bitting up) in his halter and let him WTC and he looked great both directions. He had his nose to the ground at the trot though because he really wanted to roll and knock off some flies. I even used the lunge whip and drug it along his back to get some of the flies off, he knew exactly what I was doing.

So Monday was our first ride back and he was a VERY good boy. I put on his magnetic sheet while I tack up in hopes that it helps warm and loosen him up a bit, can't hurt right? I bought the thing YEARS ago and at least it's finally getting use. It's the little things I really enjoy with him. He gives me the cutest and funniest faces when I tack him up, never lays his ears back even when I girth him. He opens his mouth for the bit with a very level head. He ground ties right in front of the tack room (I know the other people love this :-) he sometimes acts as a troll and demands a sugar cube to get in or out of the tackroom. You want him to move over? Just tap him. Sometimes he thinks it's ok to walk off, but for the most part he just stands there. I can run to my car or even go to the fridge and get carrots for him without him having to follow me- I love that :-) He's a perfect gent with his hoofies, if he doesn't already have it up and waiting for you just tap on his leg and he'll pick it up. Sometimes he'll pick a pad up off the rack or halter off the hook and he grabs his rein or lunge line and just likes to hold it in his mouth when I lead him out to the mounting block (yes I think they are all cute because he does it at such a minimum and doesn't destroy these items) . When it comes to mounting up I get up on the block and can guide him back or forward with little touches of the rein and voice and he stands there like a rock- doesn't move till I ask. He cracks me up because he's such a tough guy with other horses, pinned ears and charging after them, but is such a love to humans and he would never pin his ears to one (opps I lied, he does make ugly faces at feeding time:-x). THESE were the things I thought about last year when I had to decide whether to put him through the colic surgery.

OK, onto how our ride went. It was lovely, he was round and soft for the most part and I didn't have to sidestep him any to get there. I think he probably does go behind the vertical, but that is AOKAY with me as the alternative is a high/level head with a braced neck and he's holding the right side of the bit like he's super glued to it. I'd much rather him be a little too deep because in this frame he chews the bit, I can flex him left and right with the slightest touch of leg and hand and he just feels so soft yet powerful. The riding area is flat, but there is a hill that slopes downward a few yards away and there were 2 geese that I guess were flying the land because they came up that slope and were eye level with Less and I, they were still 25 yards away or more, but, normally this would have resulted in the TB-spinboltrun with a dropped shoulder, but he just stopped and looked like "WTF"? I'll admit, they caught me off guard too, but I was so impressed that he didn't panic.

I got on him again last night too and he was good again, but more stiff. We walked for a good 30 minutes, I tried to flex him without asking too much and he wasn't giving me much other than a level head and braced neck. He was more stumbly too in the hindend. So we went to the riding ring and we trail pony opened the gate and walked over some poles. He immediately went round and soft and just marched over the poles. I think he enjoyed something different. After that we trotted a little. He stumbles much less with he's "working" and flexed.